Topic: Why are my peas not working?

[antipodes]

I am having terrible trouble with peas this year!
I planted a first batch of Alderman, nothing came up! So about 12 days ago I resowed alderman and some early onward. I still have the impression that nothing has come up. Am I being too impatient? Some of the mangetout I sowed next to them have come through, although germination is not perfect. Could they be getting eaten by voles? 
Maybe I should net them? I have some CDs tied to their stakes to deter birds. My neighbours seem to have not troubles and their peas are now getting quite tall. Maybe I will just have to consider it a pea less year :-(

[Redalder]

Might be worth trying netting. Had the same problem, then I noticed early one morning, a pigeon walking along the rows pulling up the new pea shoots that had appeared overnight. Built a tent with canes, those balls with holes and bird netting. Filled in the gaps with new peas and a few weeks later all is now well.

[squeezyjohn]

If whole sowings are going missing then it's probably mice/voles ... you're going to need to get them started off away from where the mice can get at them.  Either in modules or a length of guttering the size of the row - I've only had any joy out of starting them off in the greenhouse this year - whole direct sowings have just disappeared!

[squeezyjohn]

Also soaking the peas in a solution of loads of crushed up garlic before planting ... and then watering all around with the garlic water ... that worked for my first sowing this year.

[artichoke]

I grow my peas in gutters too, and when planted out I wrap them up for the first weeks in fleece against birds, cold winds, anything else threatening them. They seem to thrive inside that slight shelter, though it gives the plot a rather strange look.

[Jayb]

Might be worth trying netting. Had the same problem, then I noticed early one morning, a pigeon walking along the rows pulling up the new pea shoots that had appeared overnight. Built a tent with canes, those balls with holes and bird netting. Filled in the gaps with new peas and a few weeks later all is now well.

Hi Redalder, welcome to the forum 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mice, voles or pigeons. Try starting them in pots. I still have to protect them against pigeons.

[mormor]

I put chicken net over peas when I plant them, birds can’t get at them  But  my first sowing has been wrecked by flea beetles. Grrrh.

[Tee Gee]

nothing has come up

Have you tried digging them up to see if there are any seeds there?

If the are none it suggests some form of wildlife got to them

Then again you might find soft mushy peas meaning they have rotted away which could be a sign that they were too wet, and possibly too cold!

[antipodes]

What is odd is that some have germinated (the mangetout) but not all varieties.... If it were birds surely they would have the lot. having said that, no I didn't dig around to see if they had germinated under the soil...

[chriscross1966]

I start peas off in bedding strips.... doesn't take long, you can keep them somewhere safe and you know the darn things were up when you plant them out.... that said I tend to grow them on in big autowatering pots.... the climbrs up a cylinder of chicken wire, the bush ones with some twigs pushed in.... it all works, I get peas... that said I will be planting out some more tall ones soon.... Ne Plus Ultra.....

[captainhastings]

I sowed about 4 lots of peas and the whole lot disappeared apart from maybe 3 so I was recommended to roll them around in a bit of paraffine for 10 seconds. All the peas have now come up so thats how I will do it from now.
I bought a gallon for about 6 quid but it will last for years. Only need a cup full and you can reuse it any way

[kippers garden]

My peas always dissappear too, so I now sow them in short lengths of guttering in my cold greenhouse and then transplant them and they work a treat.  You can see how I get them out of the guttering here:  http://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/tag/sowing-peas-on-guttering/

[Silverleaf]

I sowed Golden Sweet, Purple Podded, Salmon Flowered and Elisabeth (as well as my precious experimental research material peas) in newspaper pots in my utility room until they germinated and went outside, then used some old fleece and net curtains to keep the birds out until they were big enough to cope without it. All is well.

Non-precious peas like Telephone, Sugar Bon, Waverex and Sugar Ann were direct-sowed under fleece/net curtain or with a temporary rigid wire cage and have come up perfectly, even thought I was concerned about mice or birds eating them.

Yeah I know, that's a lot of peas! 20 varieties, in fact... but it's for science! (And because they taste good.)

[antipodes]

I concluded that something must have eaten them as ten days ago there was still nothing!! I sowed more Mangetout, they seem to work better for some reason.
I will save myself some work though and sow the climbing beans in their place, since the stakes etc are already planted!!!

[Silverleaf]

Are your peas round or wrinkled antipodes?

The round ones are much less prone to rotting as they can germinate at lower temperatures, but the wrinkled ones are sweeter. That might affect things.

[antipodes]

errr I admit I don't know! I sowed Alderman which are climbers, and a dwarf pea called Tommy as well as some early onwards which are usually so reliable! We have had some odd weather here, cool then hot, maybe that put them off? The mangetout seem to be more cooperative.

[lifesahaze]

I've had entire batches taken out by mice - even in the greenhouse!  You could tell it was mice as they sat on my other seedlings, squashing them, while munching away on my pea seeds.  !!!

I sow all my seeds in the greenhouse now, but make sure I cover them enough to give them a chance to germinate.  (also gets them started earlier, helpful when you're impatient like me!!). 

I like the idea of garlic water, squeezyjohn: how strong(ish) would you recommend?

[Silverleaf]

errr I admit I don't know! I sowed Alderman which are climbers, and a dwarf pea called Tommy as well as some early onwards which are usually so reliable! We have had some odd weather here, cool then hot, maybe that put them off? The mangetout seem to be more cooperative.

Alderman's a wrinkled pea, but I haven't heard of Tommy so I can't help there! The round-seeded ones are less prone to rotting (early peas tend to be round) but they go starchy quicker as they get older. Maybe your mange tout peas are round, since it doesn't matter if they get starchy as you eat them very young anyway? You should be able to tell from the shape of the seeds, since round ones are perfectly spherical and wrinkled ones have flattened bits or dimples or wrinkles.

It's likely that mice are more attracted to the wrinkled ones too as they have a higher sugar content.

[Robert_Brenchley]

None of the sources I can find actually say whether Tommy's wrinkled or not, but it's a modern semi-leafless variety so you can safely assume it is.